Spoiled by their upbringing and unaware of what wildlife really is, four animals from the New York Central Zoo escape, unwittingly assisted by four absconding penguins, and find themselves in Madagascar.

When his new father-in-law, King Harold falls ill, Shrek is looked at as the heir to the land of Far, Far Away. Not one to give up his beloved swamp, Shrek recruits his friends Donkey and Puss in Boots to install the rebellious Artie as the new king. Princess Fiona, however, rallies a band of royal girlfriends to fend off a coup d'etat by the jilted Prince Charming.

The Dragon Warrior has to clash against the savage Tai Lung as China's fate hangs in the balance: However, the Dragon Warrior mantle is supposedly mistaken to be bestowed upon an obese panda who is a tyro in martial arts.

In order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, 2 monsters realize things may not be what they think.

Storyline

When a green ogre named Shrek discovers his swamp has been 'swamped' with all sorts of fairytale creatures by the scheming Lord Farquaad, Shrek sets out with a very loud donkey by his side to 'persuade' Farquaad to give Shrek his swamp back. Instead, a deal is made. Farquaad, who wants to become the King, sends Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona, who is awaiting her true love in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. But once they head back with Fiona, it starts to become apparent that not only does Shrek, an ugly ogre, begin to fall in love with the lovely princess, but Fiona is also hiding a huge secret. Written by
Film_Fan

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Aspect Ratio:

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eddie Murphy and Jeffrey Katzenberg have known each other since the beginning of their film careers. They promised that one day, they would do an animated film together, which culminated with this film. Katzenberg even recommended Murphy for the part of Donkey, and no-one else. He thinks its Murphy's best work. See more »

Goofs

As Shrek and Donkey are leaving we see them walk through sunflowers before the onions and cabbages. Later as they are walking back, the sunflowers are farther away from the castle than any other plant. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
[a fairytale book appears]
Shrek:
[narrating]
Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort, which could only be broken by love's first kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon's keep, in the highest room of the tallest tower, for her true love, and true love's first kiss.
[...]See more »

User Reviews

I feel like one of the few people in the world who was not impressed by SHREK. Its characters were predictable (for an animated film made in America in 2001), its humor was of the bathroom variety, and its situations, like the one where the donkey teams up with the ogre to rescue the princess, appeared forced and contrived. The music was good, at least.

The worst criticism I have of the film is that it relies very heavily upon audience familiarity with the conventions in Disney films like CINDERELLA, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, and even other non-film Disney properties like Disneyland. I got bored with the movie after only 45 minutes, and decided I had better things to do with my time.

I much prefer a stand-alone animated comedy. ICE AGE is a good example.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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